The UEFA Champions League group phase ends this week, so take a look at our tips and predictions for the Group E clash between Liverpool and Spartak Moscow. With plenty of picks and markets to choose from, don’t waste your time and join the action at Get More Sports.
Liverpool (Eng) vs. Spartak Moscow
Three-Way: 1: Liverpool -323; X: +700 Draw; 2: Spartak +1250 at BetDSI Sportsbook
Spread -2: Liverpool +116; Spartak -115
Total +3.5: Over +120; Under -112
LIVERPOOL
The Reds are one step away from the knockout phase of the Champions League as they need a point here to secure the place in the 1/8 finals, while a win would guarantee the top spot in the group E. Liverpool currently has nine points, one ahead of Sevilla, and three more than Spartak, and in the worst case scenario for Jurgen Klopp men, a loss at Anfield and Sevilla’s win over Maribor in Slovenia would see the Reds eliminated from the most prestigious club competition in the world. Still, that is unlikely to happen and Liverpool is a huge favorite to beat the Russians on Wednesday and book their place for the next stage.
Liverpool is in an excellent form of eight matches without a defeat, winning six of them, scoring 25 goals and conceding six in return. Only Manchester City is in a better form in England at the moment, and the latest couple of Premier League games showed that the Reds are getting better and better and that they can be unstoppable when in the zone. After beating Stoke 3:0 at bet365 Stadium, Liverpool dismantled Brighton 5:1 at Amex Stadium, thanks to a brace from Roberto Firmino and goals from Philippe Coutinho, Emre Can, and Lewis Dunk’s own goal. The Merseysiders dominated throughout the entire tilt, and the breaking point was when Glenn Murray missed a massive opportunity to cut the lead to one. The punishment followed in the next Liverpool’s attack and the visitors went three goals up. However, the referee Graham Scott gave the hosts a chance to score as he made a harsh penalty decision and penalized Jordan Henderson for pushing in the box, even though it was a slight contact. Brighton did score, but Liverpool didn’t stop there and scored two more to settle the final result.
Liverpool played 23 games in the 2017/18 season, recording 12 victories, eight draws, and three losses, with a goal difference of 55:30, which is 3.70 goals per contest on average. The Reds didn’t suffer a home defeat in ten matches in this campaign, winning six with four draws and they kept their net intact in four out of the last five games at Anfield. The previous time this teams met in England it was back in Champions League in 2002 when Liverpool beat Spartak 5:0. Klopp’s side was much better in the first leg in Moscow but allowed the Russians to open up the scoring and later missed plenty of goal-scoring chances. I think that all those misses will turn into goals on Wednesday and the visitors will be in all kinds of problems to overcome the in-form Reds at Anfield.
Mohamed Salah is the team’s top scorer with 17 goals in 22 appearances, while Roberto Firmino with 11, Philippe Coutinho with six, and Sadio Mane with five are also key contributors to the attack. Coutinho is the most creative individual with seven assists to his name, while Mane, Firmino, and Salah added five dishes apiece. Jurgen Klopp cannot count on a long-term absentee Nathaniel Clyne who is out until February with a back injury, while Joel Matip will be out for the next month with a muscle setback. Adam Lallana returned from a lengthy injury and could see some minutes on the field here.
SPARTAK MOSCOW
The Red-Whites are in a fine form of five matches without a loss and they recorded four consecutive wins in the domestic Premier League to jump right to the 4th position with eight points fewer than the leaders and city rivals Lokomotiv Moscow. While the things in Russian championship are going relatively well, Spartak complicated the situation in the Champions League with a 1:1 home draw with Maribor as the visitors equalized in injury time to snatch a point at Otkrytiye Arena. With two draws against the weakest team in the group, the Russian champions minimalized their chances of qualifying for the next round, and only a miracle could send them to the knockout stage.
Spartak scored 11 and conceded just three goals in the last four league games, and the most recent 1:0 win at Arsenal Tula came in the dying moments of the game as the captain Denis Glushakov scored a late winner to secure precious three points to the Red-Whites. The visitors will be encouraged with that form and will try to upset the favored opponent, but I am afraid they are facing a potential catastrophe at Anfield on Wednesday.
Spartak Moscow played 27 games in this campaign, recording 12 victories, ten draws, and five losses, with a goal difference of 51:32, which is a bit over three goals per contest on average. The Red-Whites had a lot of problems away from home in the opening two months of the season, but they have been way better recently as Massimo Carrera’s side suffered only one away defeat in the last six matches, and it was a 2:1 at Sevilla. Spartak scored five goals in the past two games on the road, and they failed to score in only a couple away matches this season, so the Russians do have a chance to find the net at Anfield.
The Dutch winger Quincy Promes is the team’s leading scorer with 13 goals in 23 appearances, while the Brazilian Luiz Adriano is following him on a goal-scoring chart with nine goals to his name. Among other key players at Otkrytie Arena, Lorenzo Melgarejo and Denis Glushakov with five, while Fernando, Mario Pasalic, and Ze Luis added four goals each. Promes is also the best assist-maker with eight dishes at the moment, while Melgarejo, Adriano, and Ze Luis recorded five assists apiece. Massimo Carrera will be without Dmitri Kombarov who is dealing with a fractured rib and is not available until the late December; Jano Ananidze is suffering from an ankle injury, while the long-term absentees are Georgi Tigiev and Artem Timofeev with cruciate ligament ruptures.
Liverpool (Eng) vs. Spartak Moscow (Rus) – Match Prediction
The Reds will go for three points here instead of playing on the result and securing a point needed for qualification, and I believe they will attack the visitors ferociously from the ref’s first whistle. The Russians must score the first goal if they want to have a slim chance of going to the knockout phase, and when they open up a bit and attack Liverpool, the hosts will answer on the counters and sweep Spartak. I anticipate an easy win for Klopp’s team, but my picks will be to go with the over and both teams to score.
MY PICK: Over 3.5 goals (+120)
Additional Pick: Both teams to score YES (-105)
